Friday, June 1, 2012

A Month I Never Expected

As Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month approached, I anticipated
increased traffic on Facebook, some token under-informed skin cancer stories on
local TV news, and an extra article or two in the paper about using sunscreen.Honestly, that’s about all I recall from
previous years (admittedly being only “aware” just last year).Wow, did this month turn out different and
better than expected!Here are just a
few highlights:

·The most unlikely of people pushed Melanoma
Awareness Month from the Health Page to the Front Page…a tanner!Patricia Krentcil, aka “Tan Mom,” became the
talk of the water cooler…not because of the accusations that she took her
daughter into a tanning booth, but because of her uber-tanning appearance.To quote the spoof on Saturday Night Live,
she “looks like a baseball glove.”Yes,
Tan Mom created discussions on the safety of tanning beds across the country
and on every media venue imaginable.Nearly every story on TV or in the paper about Ms. Krentcil also had the
subtext that “this is Melanoma Awareness Month.”Thank you Tan Mom for being our anti-hero!

·Because of the interest in Tan Mom, several
melanoma warriors were interviewed in both print and television.Some of these are posted on a new website
called “Faces Of Melanoma.”Check under “Making a Difference.”Also, Chelsea Price not
only appeared via Skype on the Dr. Drew show, Headlines News did an entire
piece on her and her blog.Great, great
stuff!

·Many folks participated in several walks and
events across the country.I was unable
to attend any myself, but am anxiously awaiting the AIM for Melanoma walk in
Charlotte, NC in November.(Feel free to
sponsor me by clicking the link in the upper left of this blog page).

·NBC’s Today Show did a piece on tanning beds
which showcased an advocate for the tanning industry.While the NBC medical expert slammed the tanning
biz, the opposing gentleman’s smarminess left a bad taste.And all this was reported as a model fried in
a tanning bed in the background!So many
people were angered by the Today Show…but they redeemed themselves with an
excellent expose on how tanning salons are not following the New Jersey law regarding
parental consent for minors.Half of the
salons investigated showed that they let in 15 year old girls with no problem.This pretty much confirmed the sleazy or uninformed
nature of the tanning industry as reported a couple months earlier in a Senate
Report.

·Coach Bill Cowher announced his involvement with
a new campaign called Melanoma Exposed.What
many people may not realize is that men are at a higher risk for developing
melanoma than women.Approximately 5,800
men die annually compared to 3,000 women.This is not to say we need to stop warning young women against tanning…but
Coach’s involvement may help get stubborn men to the dermatologist earlier to
have their skin checked.

·Sadly, at the statistical rate of one person
dying of melanoma each hour, we probably lost over 700 warriors to melanoma
this month.This hit close to home as a
couple of folks who have “Liked” my Facebook page and commented on this blog passed
away this month.They will be missed.

·And yet miracles happen as so many of us stayed
glued to the Facebook as Steve Hock went under the knife for his grueling 8
hour surgery to have tumors removed from his brain.There was a real risk that he could have come
out in a vegetative state…but latest photos shows him being alert and
miraculously well.His success may not
ease the pain of those lost, but it certainly offers hope to those still
fighting.

·On a somewhat selfish note, my blog post “RealPeople of Melanoma” surpassed the 1,800 page view mark this month.That is six times as many hits as my next
most-read post.Chelsea told me that a
producer at CNN found that post linked from her blog…and the producer loved
it.But my thrill in the readership is
not about the numbers at all…it’s about knowing that the word is getting out
there.It seems to get read by a few
people every day despite having been written back in January.Don’t be surprised if a Part 2 comes out in
the next few months.

·Finally, the word IS getting out.The one “enemy” to our cause is the tanning
industry.It’s evident that our
grassroots effort is starting to pay off because those who support tanning beds
are starting to leave comments in not only my blog, but others’.If someone or something is not a threat, you
ignore it.Well, we’re no longer being
ignored, which means we must be a threat to the industry.This is exciting to know!

We had an incredible month!So
many people are now aware…and this is just the beginning!

4 comments:

I am excited that melanoma awareness is finally getting some attention. My sweet daughter Rebecca was one of those 700 who lost her fight this month. She was only 23 and she did not sunbath, she spoke against the tanning habit of so many of her friends. Thank you for your help in spreading the word.

Disclaimer!

"Black is the New Pink" is a compilation of thoughts and links related to Melanoma Awareness and is not intended to serve as a medical advisor. If you seek such advise, please visit your doctor or dermatologist.